Malaysia opened the Thomas Cup with a victory over England, but Lee Zii Jia believes that the game served as a wake-up call for the team.

“I’m happy to have sealed the win for the team, but this will make us stay wary ahead of our next two group matches,” Zii Jia said in a post-game interview. "I thought it would end 4-1," he said. 

Lee Zii Jia delivered the decisive point as Malaysia edged England in their opening Group B tie at Forum Horsens, beating Nadeem Dalvi 21-13, 21-11. It was a result that gave the national team a winning start, but the road to victory was a narrow one and not the straightforward outing many had predicted.

That's because Malaysia was left reeling after Justin Hoh went down 19-21, 19-21 in a shock men's singles loss to world No. 62 Harry Huang. To add to their concerns, Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin lost 16-21, 15-21 to world No. 153 Kayan Cholan.

However, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun's wins put the score at 2-2 for Zii Jia to take the win.

Zii Jia also spoke about his state of mind as he entered the field with high expectations from his team.

“I wasn’t feeling too pressured as I was more excited that it was tied and had to think about what I needed to do,” he said.

Lee Zii Jia to Face Japan Next

Lee Zii Jia’s real test comes against Japan on Wednesday. On April 27, 2026, Malaysia scored a 4–1 victory over Finland. This matchup marked Zii Jia’s second singles win of the 2026 Thomas Cup, defeating Ananda Galvani Daniswara 21–19, 21–10.

Although Zii Jia has not yet lost a game in this year’s tournament and Malaysia currently tops Group B in the men’s competition, Japan is still expected to prove a tough challenge, recording convincing 5–0 wins over both England and Finland.

The crucial Group B tie between Malaysia and Japan on April 29 will decide which team finishes top of the group.

In the singles department, Japan seems to have the edge. Its roster includes world No. 20 Koki Watanabe, world No. 37 Yudai Okimoto, and world No. 9 Kodai Naraoka.

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Written by

Sahil Prashar

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar